Separate Ways
by The Amazing McCormick
Summary: The Young Justice League has broken up. The members have gone their separate ways. What will it take to bring them back together? Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: WHY AM I WRITING THIS? WHY! I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FINISH IT! BUT, I JUST HAVE TO GET IT DOWN.

This is my latest story.

I do not own Young Justice.

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><p>She drove down the highway, window open, wind in her hair. It felt almost like she was flying. Almost, but not quite. Still, this <em>driving<em>, it was fun. She had finally received her Earth driver's license. Her car wasn't something anyone who knew her would think she would buy. A big Hummer was just not her style. But it was strong. She had gotten it fixed with bullet-proof windows, a strong steel frame, everything it would need to withstand what might happen in her line of work. She pressed down a little harder on the gas, even though she was well above the speed limit. Going this fast gave her a thrill, a thrill she used to forget what happened earlier. Still, those events replayed in her head, out of her control.

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><p>She was sitting in her hotel room. She had turned down the opportunity to live in the Watchtower, instead opting on living on Earth. She wanted to learn as much about the planet as she could, and figured that the best way to do so was to travel. That's why she had bought the car in the first place. She had been going in a road trip around the U.S.A. After this, she figured she would hit the other continents. Maybe Europe…<p>

Her thoughts were interrupted by an… unexpected visitor.

"Hello, M'gann."

She turned around and found herself looking at the only other Martian on Earth.

"Hello, Uncle. You know, you could knock first, instead of just walking _through_ the door." M'gann said with a smile.

"Force of habit." The older Martian said, smiling back.

"Well, what is it? You don't usually visit without a reason."

"Are you saying that I cannot visit my niece without some sort of ulterior motive?"

M'gann raised an eyebrow. "Yes"

"Well, you are correct. I have something I want to talk to you about."

M'gann sighed. She knew what was coming. Her uncle took her silence as a sign to continue.

"You haven't even talked to them. It's been such a long time. Don't you ever think about it?

M'gann sighed again and stood up.

"Yes. I think about it all of the time." She picked up her bag and walked towards the door. She stopped in the doorframe and turned back to her uncle. "But it doesn't change anything. It's over. The Young Justice League broke up. That's the end of it." And with that, she closed the door and walked away.

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><p>It started with Robin. The Young Justice League had failed a mission. No, not just failed. <em>Spectacularly<em> failed. Since then, Batman had been reluctant to give them missions. Eventually, this became too much for Robin. One day, he lost it. He yelled at the team, blaming them for messing up the mission, and everything else that had resulted from that failure. He went on to say that everything was better when it was just him and Batman. The rest of the team had been speechless. Robin stormed out of the Cave. He never returned.

After him, it had been Artemis. She and Wally had always been fighting, but without Robin's side comments to lighten the mood, the arguments took on a new malice. After a while, Artemis couldn't take it, and she left.

Next was Wally. She wasn't quite sure why Wally left. It probably had to do with the absence of Robin and Artemis. He hadn't seemed to be himself, and one day, he just didn't come to the Cave.

Kaldur and Superboy left about the same time. Kaldur returned to Atlantis to assist Aquaman. After Superboy went on a visit to Metropolis, he returned to the Cave, only to pack his things and tell M'gann he was leaving. When she asked why, he only said it had to do with Superman. He had been smiling as he said this, so she assumed that whatever happened in Metropolis, it was good for both Kryptonians.

After Superboy left, it was just M'gann and Red Tornado living in the Cave. Two days later, M'gann withdrew a large amount of money from her League account, bought her car, and went on a road trip.

That was a little more than a year ago. M'gann had taken her time, staying for weeks at a time in all of the big cities, and occasionally, doing a little crime-fighting on the side.

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><p>M'gann was jolted from her reverie when a crack of thunder announced an oncoming storm. She figured she'd better seek some shelter soon, she had never been one for storms. She pulled off at the next exit. As she drove through the city, she saw a sign for a restaurant. Realizing she hadn't eaten in a while, she parked there. The woman at the podium greeted her with a smile, and asked her if she wanted a table for one or a bar seat. M'gann's eyes scanned the restaurant, when something caught her eye.<p>

"Actually," she told the hostess, "I'm meeting someone."

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><p>AN: Oooh! I wonder who it is? Really, I do. I have no idea where I'm going with this story.

Review and Constructive Criticism.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Chapter two!

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><p>"Well, fancy meeting you here."<p>

Artemis looked up from her menu. The girl standing in front of her had red hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans. Artemis was sure she had never seen this girl in her life, but something about her voice sounded familiar. Suddenly, it hit her.

"Megan! Oh, my God! I can't believe it! What are you doing in Gotham?"

M'gann looked confused for a moment. "I'm in Gotham? How did I- Oh, hello, Megan! I just wasn't paying attention to the road signs. I came here to escape the storm. Mind if I sit down? I told the hostess I was eating with you."

"Not at all." The blonde archer smiled. The two girls settled in.

"What have you been doing all this time? Green Arrow told me you're not in the Watchtower."

M'gann filled Artemis in on all of her road trip adventures. Artemis sighed.

"Well, you've certainly been having a more interesting time than I have. It's been non-stop bad guy fighting, practically twenty-four seven. I don't think I've had a day off in months!"

The two made small talk, ordering when the waiter came, but it was obvious something was on both of their minds. M'gann was the one to finally voice the thought.

"So... Ah… Have you heard from any of the others?" She couldn't hide the slight eagerness in her voice. Artemis shook her head.

"No, you?"

M'gann's face visibly fell. "No."

An awkward silence fell over the table. They were both grateful when the food arrived, providing something to fill the silence. Still, it wasn't enough, and M'gann chose words to overcome the awkwardness.

"So, how's Green Arrow?"

Artemis laughed and shook her head. "He's fine. You really don't like awkward silences, do you?"

"No."

"I don't see how you lived with Superboy. You know, now that I think about it, I don't know why he left the team. What happened?"

M'gann told her the story of his visit to Metropolis.

"Oh, well, that's good for him, I guess."

"You guess?" M'gann looked questioningly at her friend.

"Well, did he ever think about how moving out would affect you?"

M'gann thought. "Hm… I guess not."

"Exactly."

"I can't really hold it against him, though. It was his big chance to really connect with Superman."

"Well, yeah, when you put it that way. But still-" M'gann cut her friend off with a wave of her hand.

"Really, it's fine. I'm happy for him." M'gann forced a smile.

"M'gann, you're not fooling anyone. It's been a year. You've been on the road. You haven't contacted anyone. You had to have been lonely."

M'gann sighed. "You're right, Artemis. I have been lonely. But the way the team left everything, I couldn't contact you guys. I didn't want it to be awkward."

"Things aren't awkward now, are they?"

"Not really. I guess I was worried for nothing."

Artemis nodded. "See?"

"Well, you haven't contacted them, either."

"M'gann, I have my mom, Green Arrow, and my school friends. You… well, you don't"

"I have Uncle J'onn."

"Yeah, but he's not the most… sociable guy. How many times have you two talked?"

M'gann shrugged. "A few."

"Exactly. You need to reconnect. I could help you. Maybe-"

Artemis was cut off by the sound of an explosion from outside and the windows being blown open. There was the sound of shouting from outside. Some masked men with guns were running out of a truck that was parked down the street. Each of the men had guns. They weren't speaking English, but it was clear they weren't the good guys. Artemis turned to M'gann.

"Do you wanna-"

"Way ahead of you." The Martian smiled.

The two ran for the door.

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><p>AN: Kinda short. Maybe the last one for awhile. Sorry, I know, a little bit of a cliffhanger.

Thank you for the reviews.

Reviews and Constructive criticism.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay I found time to post today, but I'm telling you, this is the last one for a while. I go to the beach tomorrow, and will be there for a while. Enjoy!

I do not own Young Justice.

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><p>Robin slumped back in his chair. With Batman gone on another League mission, there was only the Boy Wonder left to watch over Gotham. He had been sitting in the Batcave, watching and waiting for anything to come up. He yawned. It had been weeks since he had gotten a decent night's sleep, and he was wiped. Maybe he could just close his eyes for a minute…<p>

Robin jolted awake at the sound of an alarm. The computer told him that a band of goons was robbing a bank. There appeared to be hostages, and all of the goons had high-grade machine guns. Looks like it was going to be another interesting night.

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><p>Interesting was right.<p>

Robin gawked at the sight in front of him. The computer had warned him about the goons, the guns, the hostages, and even the armored truck. But the computer hadn't warned him about… this.

Robin blinked a few times, trying to see if his sleep-deprived brain was playing tricks on him. But no, it was still there. _They_ were still there.

Robin found himself looking at a very… peculiar scene. Two girls, two ex-teammates, were tying up the last of the goons, and it looked like the hostages were all fine. Robin blinked again, then shook his head. Yes, this was going to be a very interesting night.

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><p>Artemis looked up at the sound of someone approaching.<p>

"Well, hey there, Rob!"

M'gann looked up, too.

"Robin!" She shouted as she ran to hug the young hero.

"Uh… Um… Hi, M'gann, Artemis." Robin was still half asleep and wondering if this was all a dream. Suddenly, he snapped to attention, fully waking up and realizing what was going on.

"Whoa, hey, so you all have this under control?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, nice of you to show up. Last I checked, this is _your_ territory." Artemis remarked.

"Yes, well, I guess you just beat me to it." No need to mention how he was sleeping. "Speaking of which, how did you guys get here so fast?"

"Well…" M'gann started, and told Robin the story of how she came to be in Gotham, from him leaving the Young Justice League until that moment. Artemis was right, she had been really lonely, she realized as everything, and she meant everything, came pouring out. "… and then you showed up." She finished.

"Wow." Robin had never seen this side of the Martian. "I'm… ah… sorry. I guess I never thought about how my leaving might affect the rest of you guys."

"No, no, I'm not blaming you. I really just never had anyone to talk to about it." M'gann blushed, embarrassed.

"Ah… Oh, hey, so what about you, Artemis? How've you been holding up?" Robin was desperate to change the subject.

"You know, school, friends, home, crime-fighting, the usual."

The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Finally, M'gann spoke up.

"So, what do you guys think about going to get a late-night ice cream?"

The two other heroes smiled.

"That sounds like an excellent idea."

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><p>After going to their homes and changing into their civvies, except for M'gann, who tagged along with Artemis, the trio ordered their ice cream. Sitting at an outside table, they discussed places they'd been, villians they had fought, and other aspects of their lives. Robin told them about his times crime-fighting with Batman. At first, he had been worried about coming out to get ice cream, wondering if his friends from school might see him, but they were all on vacation for the winter.<p>

As they were talking, something was bothering M'gann.

"Okay, so here are the two of you, but what about the others? Aqualad, Superboy, and Kid Flash, how are they doing? Have you seen or heard from them?"

"Well, I see KF all of the time. But as for Superboy and Aqualad, I don't know." Suddenly, an idea struck the Boy Wonder. "But I can find out."

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><p>A short while later, the three young heroes were all sitting on a park bench, staring at Robin's computer screen.<p>

"Let's see…" he said, scrolling through the lists on the screen. "I'm not exactly sure how these are organized, it looks kind of random… not at all Batman's style, but I'm sure there's some reason behind it. Hey look," he said, nudging M'gann, "There's you!" Robin opened the file on M'gann. It had all of her basic information, including her whereabouts. They found Kid Flash's file, too, which held much of the same general information.

"Oh, hey, there's Superboy!" Artemis said, pointing at the screen. Robin clicked on it. It didn't reveal anything they didn't know, and they went back to the list. Finally, Aqualad's file was found. But something was wrong. They all stared at the screen, and then, in unison, said;

"Missing?"

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><p>"Well? Have you found anything?" M'gann was pacing in front of the bench. Artemis and Robin sat on the bench, researching their former teammate's disappearance.<p>

"He disappeared on some mission with Aquaman, and the League is investigating now." Robin reported.

"Really? And they didn't tell us?" Artemis was furious. "They're treating us like sidekicks- Again!"

"He was our teammate!" M'gann added. "How could they keep this from us?"

Robin shook his head. He thought Batman would trust him enough to tell him _this_.

The three sat in silence. Then, Robin spoke.

"I think… I think we need to do some investigating of our own."

Artemis and M'gann looked at him.

"You mean… as a team?" Artemis asked.

"Exactly"

"Okay," M'gann said, "There was a time when you wanted to be leader. Lead us now."

Robin nodded. "Right. I will."

"Okay then, fearless leader," Artemis said, "Tell me. What's our first move?"

Robin stood up, looking at the other two.

"Our first move is… rounding up the rest of the team."

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><p>AN: Yeah, that's it for a while. Sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for sticking with me! I was at the beach for five days, but I did find the time to type all of this up on my iPod, so when I got home, I just needed to put it on the computer and edit.  
>Ranger Sage asked the question about these guys ages.<br>I said it's winter, probably January. Go back one year, it's January again, about six months from July, when this whole thing started. So, yeah, six months is long enough for them to have been a team. So they're all one year older now. Do with that what you will.  
>And so, after almost a week's wait, here's Chapter Four.<p>

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><p>Superboy picked himself up off of the ground. The... Thing (because that was the only word he could think of to describe his opponent) was stronger than he had anticipated. Nothing like the small-time bank robbers he had been up against earlier. But this was Superboy's first REAL mission on his own, without Superman, and he was damned if he was going to screw it up. As he rose to his feet, Superboy watched his opponent with a careful eye. Wow, was this guy<em> ugly<em>. He looked like Godzilla on steroids. And he was _strong_. His strength might even rival that of the Man of Steel. Maybe. Superboy shrugged. That didn't matter. He had something that über-Godzilla lacked. Skill. While the monster lumbered around, smashing everything in his sight, Superboy darted in, making critical shots. He laughed. This must be what it's like for Robin. The monster swung one huge fist, and Superboy dodged around it, jumped up, and kicked the freakazoid in the jaw. There was a loud crack, and Über-Godzilla stumbled backwards, smashing into the building behind him. Superboy wasn't worried, everyone had cleared out long ago, there was no one left to be in danger.

And then he heard the scream.

Crap.

The monster pulled himself out of the building. In the hole left behind, Superboy saw a young woman clutching a toddler. Both of them looked terrified. Superboy needed to make a decision, fast. The monster lunged. It looked like the decision had been made for him. He jumped over the beast, kicking it in the back of the head as he did. The monster staggered, dazed. Superboy heard another shriek, and turned around to see the woman and child still standing at the edge of the hole.

"What are you doing? Get out of here!" But they stayed put, frozen with fear.

He decided he would have to get them himself. Suddenly, the ground shook, and Superboy turned around to see the monster lumbering towards him. In the same instant, the floorboards beneath the woman and child broke, and the two tripped forwards and out of the hole. In the next millisecond, the scenario came together in his mind. If he tried to stop the monster, the woman and child would fall to their deaths. But, if he tried to save them, the monster would crash into the building, killing the two and anyone else who might be inside. The choice was clear. Superboy threw himself full force at the monster, knocking it across the street and to the ground. It hit with enough force to shatter all of the bones in a normal man's body, although it only knocked the monster out. Superboy whirled around, the woman and child hadn't hit the ground yet, they had fallen from high up, but there was no way Superboy could reach them in time...  
>An all-too familiar laugh echoed off of the building as a rope shot out and wrapped around the toddler, yanking him back. Less than a second later, the woman froze in mid-air. Slowly, she was lowered to the ground.<p>

"What would you do without us?" Said a familiar voice. Superboy looked up at the building. Standing there- well, floating there, in one case- were three ex-members of the Young Justice League.

Robin swung to the ground, child under one arm, and handed the child to the woman, before approaching the Boy of Steel. Artemis followed, and M'gann flew down after them. Superboy was speechless.

"C'mon, Superboy, aren't you glad to see us?" Artemis said. M'gann smiled at him.

"Uh... Don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here?" Superboy said.

"Do you want the short version or the long?"

"Well, I've got time, so, long."

"Alright, but not here. We need to talk in private." Robin said.

"Okay, follow me."

They made their way through back alleys, sneaking around the city, until they found themselves at the Clarks' apartment building. Superboy motioned for them to follow him up the fire escape. When they reached the apartment, Superboy opened the window and climbed inside. Once they were all inside, Superboy said, "Sorry about the sneaking around, but..."  
>He didn't need to finish. They understood. It wasn't like Superboy, Robin, Artemis, and Miss Martian could just walk into an apartment building in their costumes. Their cover would be blown.<p>

They all walked into the living room and sat down. Robin looked around.

"Wow, Superboy, nice digs."

"Not Superboy."

They all stared at him. "What?"

"It's not Superboy, not anymore. That's my hero name. Here, it's Conner."

M'gann squealed. "You have an Earth name? That's wonderful!"

Superboy looked down, blushing slightly. Then, he looked up, giving M'gann a small smile.

"Okay, you two, stop making lovey-dovey eyes at each other and let's get down to business." Artemis said. Superboy and M'gann looked away from each other, embarrassed. Superboy composed himself.

"Right. So, what's going on?"

The other three heroes took turns as they told the whole story, from the separation to the four of them sitting in, essentially, Superman's living room.

Superboy stared at them, taking it all in.

"Aqualad's missing?"

"Yep."

"For..."

"Awhile."

"And the League didn't tell us?"

"Pretty much."

Superboy paused, thinking. Then; "Why?"

Robin shrugged. Superboy felt anger boiling up inside of him. He thought Superman trusted him now.  
>Superboy took a deep breath, controlling his anger. He had learned not to let his anger cloud his judgement. He turned to Robin.<p>

"Okay, so, Aqualad's missing. What does that have to do with me?"

The other three looked at each other.

"Well, we were kinda hoping..." Artemis started.

"You'd join us? In looking for him?" Robin finished.

Superboy thought. "Okay."

"I mean, he was a part of our team, so we just thought- wait, 'Okay'?" Robin stopped.

Superboy shrugged. "Yeah. Sure. Like you said, he was a part of our team. He was our leader. We owe him."

Everyone was quiet. Then;

"So what's next?" Artemis asked.

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><p>"Wally! Come downstairs, please!"<p>

"Alright! I'm coming! Geez, calm down!" Wally grumbled the last part to himself. He wondered what could be so important. Hopefully, it wasn't his report card...

Wally sprinted down the hall and down the stairs, before practically screeching to a halt when he reached the living room. There, seated around the coffee table, were four people he thought he would never see together again.

Superboy, M'gann, Artemis, and Robin watched Wally. Wally watched Robin, Artemis, M'gann, and Superboy. Both were waiting for the other to make a move.

This was awkward.

"Uh, hey, guys, what's going on?"

M'gann spoke up. "We came to ask a favor."

"Anything for you, Beautiful. What's the story?"

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><p>Wally's reaction was much like the others'. M'gann was worried about that. She only half-paid attention as the others had told the story, and when they started discussing what that meant, she sighed. This was what she had been afraid of. The others, arguing, becoming upset at their mentors for the third time in the past twenty-four hours. She tried to tune out, but she still picked up on little bits of the conversation.<p>

"...didn't tell us..."

"...was our teammate, our leader..."

"...no trust..."

"...no respect..."

"...like sidekicks..."

"...again..."

M'gann couldn't take it. She stood up suddenly, and said, in an exasperated way, "Well, surely it's not as bad as that."

They looked at her, disbelieving.

Superboy's voice was angry as he spat out; "But _you_ wouldn't know. _You_ wouldn't understand. _You_ don't _have_ a mentor."  
>M'gann held his gaze. A year ago, when there still was a Young Justice League, that comment, and the anger in Superboy's voice, would have shut her up, made her sit down, made her feel so <em>dejected<em>. But, over the past year, she had become stronger. She had traveled the country, living and fighting crime, completely on her own. She wasn't the girl she had been a year ago. So she held Superboy's gaze a moment longer, and then took a deep breath before continuing.

"Yes, I know I don't have a mentor, and I can't possibly feel the betrayal that you all feel now. But, that doesn't matter. What matters is that Aqualad, our teammate, our leader, our friend, is somewhere out there, and it is up to us to find him. The League has been investigating, to no avail, but I bet we can find something they didn't. I bet we can find Aqualad. But we have to try. And it won't help if all you do is sit around and complain." With that, M'gann sat down. The others stared, until, one by one, they smiled, or nodded, or both.

"_And, just like that, we are a team on a mission_."

A/N: Well, I thought that went fairly well. I liked the Aqualad quote at the end there, that fit in very nicely. This story will probably take longer than my last one. I'm kind of making it up as I go along. We'll see where it takes us.  
>Thank you for all of the reviews, followers, and favoriting. No, I'm not sure if "favoriting" is a word.<br>Oh, well.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for not posting for this story in a while. I had a major case of writer's block.

Anyway, here you go.

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><p>"Please."<p>

"No."

"Pretty please."

"No."

"C'mon."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"I'm busy."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"Please?"

"NO."

M'gann and Conner watched as their other three teammates tried to convince Red Arrow to help find Aqualad.

It wasn't working.

Conner shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. M'gann hadn't spoken to him the whole way to Red Arrow's apartment, the address of which was obtained by Robin earlier that day.

_Is she mad at me?_

He glanced over at M'gann again. She wasn't paying him any attention.

_I'd better apologize._

"Uh, hey, M'gann?"

She looked up, startled. "Yes?"

"About earlier, when I yelled at you?" He paused, then took her silence as an invitation to continue. "Look, I, uh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted. I've been trying to work on that."

M'gann smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not mad."

"Really?" Relief washed over Conner.

"Yeah, and I get it. Well, kind of. It's taken you so long to finally trust Superman, and feel like he trusts you. Of course, you felt betrayed. But it doesn't matter. We will find Aqualad, and everything will go back to normal."

Conner looked at M'gann.

"Well, maybe not quite _normal_…"

M'gann sighed.

"And hey, one more thing," Conner began, "Well, it's just that…" he took a step closer to M'gann, "Really, I just…" another step, and he reached out and put his hand on her arm, "I mean…"

"FORGET YOU, WE'RE LEAVING!" Wally stormed away from Roy and headed for the door, interrupting the couple in the corner. Artemis and Robin followed.

M'gann pulled away from Conner, blushing. She followed her teammates.

Conner vowed to take revenge on the speedster at some point.

* * *

><p>"What now?" Artemis asked Robin.<p>

"Simple. We investigate."t

The team was seated at a table in a local café. The café was mostly deserted, except for a few teenagers here and there.

Robin told the team the details of Aqualad's disappearance, how the mission took place in a warehouse in the industrial district.

"That's where we start."

They exited the empty café.

* * *

><p>The man stood inside the warehouse, waiting. As soon as he heard them, he would go. He needed to put this final piece into place. But he couldn't afford any complications. That was why he waited. He was going to make sure that they would get it. Them, and no one else.<p>

He heard it.

Quickly and quietly, he dropped the item behind a box and left.

Just as he exited through the back door, he heard the first member come in.

* * *

><p>Aqualad woke to darkness. Again.<p>

He looked in front of him. In the dim light, he could barely make out a box. He opened it to find a turkey sandwich and a grapefruit.

The grapefruit was for juice.

They wouldn't dare give him water. That would be stupid.

Quickly, he ate the sandwich and drank the juice from the fruit. As soon as he finished, the door opened.

"Well, how are you today?" A smug voice voice asked.

Aqualad was silent.

"Now, today marks your fourth week in solitary confinement," the man went on, "But don't worry. Soon, your friends will join you. As long as they come as willingly, that is. If not…"

Aqualad knew what the "if not" was.

"Well, I'll just leave you to your thoughts. But remember, the offer's still open."

He left.

Aqualad shook his head. No matter what this man threw at him, he wouldn't cave in.

"_Join us. It's the only way. Join us, and you will survive. Become evil. Come to the dark side. Or end up like your friends."_

There was no way he was going to join them.

* * *

><p>Elise polished her helmet, trying to be patient. She held it up to the light, watching it shine. She could see her reflection perfectly.<p>

Excellent.

If she could see hers, that means they would be able to see theirs.

And she wanted them to be able to see their faces.

You know, when she killed them.

* * *

><p>Angelica played with the knobs and wires on her gloves. It was a nervous habit. It kept her busy. She wanted to see him, talk to him, but he was busy. And she knew not to mess with him when he was busy.<p>

It was okay, though. All of this waiting would pay off. In the end, it would all be worth it.

* * *

><p>Nathan jumped from one bar to another, climbing poles, racing across wires, wrapping himself in, out, and around the many metal sculptures in the lounge. Anything to keep moving.<p>

Occasionally, he would jump too late, swing too low, just to bother them.

Sometimes, they threatened him.

But that was alright with him. They had their ways to pass the time, and he had his.

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><p>Terry settled into a chair. The meeting had gone very well. He was pleased with how well they handled the recon. Now, all that was left to do was wait. He knew not to bother him, not when the plan was this close to being completed. None of them really knew what the plan was. They didn't care, either. They just knew their jobs, the rewards for completing them successfully, and the consequences of failure.<p>

Still, Terry was curious.

What was this mysterious plan?

Only time would tell.

* * *

><p>AN: Kind of short.

Vague, too.

Like? Hate? Anywhere in between?

Review.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Another late night typing…..

By the way, KUDOS to whoever may have figured this out.

Not Wheatieluv, who was let in on the secret.

DID YOU TELL ANYONE, WHEATIELUV? YOU BETTER NOT HAVE.

Who here thought these characters were OCs?

Well, they're not.

Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

><p>Robin entered the warehouse first, then, seeing that the coast was clear, motioned for the others to follow.<p>

They fanned out, searching the entire building.

* * *

><p>They stood waiting. Any minute now, one of the Young Justice League would find it, and the plan would be set into action.<p>

He joined them.

"Well?" Disruptor asked, anxiously flexing her fingers in her gloves. She sidled up to their leader, pressing into his side, gazing at him "What did he say?"

Persuader rolled her eyes behind the red eye holes of her mask. Not that anyone could see, of course.

"Nothing, sadly. He would have been such an excellent addition to our team." Clock King sighed. This was such a minor interference. Nothing to worry about. Not like they would have Aqualad fight his teammates, anyway. That would be dumb. He could easily have turned over to the good side again. Still, it would have been nice to have his support.

"So, what do we do with him?" Dreadbolt asked impatiently. This close to showtime, and they were standing around talking. They should be preparing.

"I set up monitors in his chamber. HD, too. He will watch his teammates fall at our hands. And then, we will see if he reconsiders."

Copperhead chuckled to himself as he jumped around the room, keeping himself busy.

"Cut that out! It's about to start." Dreadbolt snapped.

The five turned towards the monitors in front of them, watching the team scout the warehouse. The speedster bent down to get a better look at something under a box.

"_Hey, there's something shiny under here…"_

* * *

><p>They hadn't been searching the warehouse for long, but it was clear there was nothing to be found. It was time to give up, go home, regroup.<p>

And then Kid Flash saw something.

"Hey, there's something shiny under here…" he said, reaching for the object.

And then, all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>A bright light filled the warehouse for a moment, and then the five heroes found themselves staring at four strange looking teenagers. The one in front, a boy, was wearing blue and yellow, with a cowl and goggles. The next one, a blonde girl, was wearing what looked like a pink leotard with a V-neck, showing off her ample cleavage, pink boots, and mechanical gloves. After her was a girl wearing casual clothes, a jacket without a shirt underneath, partially unzipped to show off her equally large breasts, and a metal mask. She also carried a large, atomic axe. The last guy… was dressed as a snake.<p>

The team didn't have a long time to take in the appearance of the newcomers before the fight began. Each of the four broke off to take on a member of the Young Justice League. Persuader went for Superboy, since they figured her axe was the only thing that could possibly do some damage to the Boy of Steel. Copperhead took Artemis and Robin, since it would be acrobat against acrobat for Robin, and neither Robin nor Artemis had any powers. Five against four, someone had to take two. Dreadbolt was taking on Kid Flash, since his teleportation was the only thing that could ever hope to catch the young speedster. Disruptor took Miss Martian, since everyone else was busy.

Each of the Terror Titans held their battle separate from the others. They did everything they could to keep the Young Justice members from being able to team up.

Miss Martian was dodging Disruptor's blasts. The blonde was growing tired of this game of hit-or-miss. She would occasionally land a good hit on the Martian, but the blasts only fazed her for a moment, and meanwhile, Miss Martian would manage to throw Disruptor around a few times with her telekinesis. It was time to turn up the heat. Disruptor turned her gloves to almost maximum power, her blasts chasing Miss Martian all around the warehouse. As Disruptor turned around, following the green girl, she narrowly missed Persuader, who was facing off against Superboy in the far corner.

"Watch it, Blondie!" Persuader hissed, having to jump on top of one of the boxes to avoid Superboy's punch. He jumped up on the box next to her, his landing enough to cause the whole box to collapse. Persuader scrambled to remove the boards on top of her, when Superboy's boot connected with the side of her head. Thank God for the mask, or that probably would've crushed her skull. The blow did jar her, and she had to spit blood. She stood, turning towards Superboy. The side of her mask was splattered with blood from where she spit. It was time to get serious. Suddenly, Persuader charged Superboy, hitting him in the side with the handle of her axe.

_Well, I misjudged _that_ distance. _

With Superboy down, it would be so easy to just end it there. Persuader raised her axe, preparing to deliver the final blow.

A batarang caught her hand, causing the axe to fall to the floor.

Robin and Copperhead were engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle. Artemis was trying to get a good shot in, but the two were moving so quickly, there was no guarantee that the arrow wouldn't hit Robin instead. Still, Artemis stood, bow raised, ready to shoot when needed.

Something caught her eye down below. A glint of light, coming from an object in Dreadbolt's hand. It was a shard of glass, taken from one of the broken windows. Kid Flash dodged around Dreadbolt, preparing to make a wide turn, double back, and hit him again. Artemis knew what was going to happen. She saw Dreadbolt teleport to where Kid Flash would end up, so that the speedster couldn't turn back. The shard came forward, ready to catch the speedster.

_Oh no, you don't._ Artemis let the arrow fly.

Dreadbolt heard a whizzing. He looked up, saw the arrow, and teleported away.

It happened in less than a second.

The glass dropped to the floor.

Kid Flash ran by just in time to catch the arrow before it ht the ground. Dreadbolt was still distracted by his near-death experience. Kid Flash took advantage of this opportunity and ran at the villain, stabbing him in the arm. The arrow caught, and Kid Flash was forced to let go.

Robin had seen the same thing as Artemis. The thought of his best friend being stabbed caused Robin to balk, and in that moment, Copperhead delivered a kick to Robin's head. The Boy Wonder staggered, lost his balance, and fell from the support beams in the ceiling.

Superboy saw Robin fall. While he was distracted, Persuader dug the axe into his arm, opening a large gash. Superboy cried out in pain.

Miss Martian heard Superboy.

She stopped flying, turning to him.

"Superboy!"

While she stopped, Disruptor got her.

Artemis watched as Miss Martian fell. Since Artemis wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings, Disruptor got the archer, too.

Dreadbolt watched the scenario play out before him. It was perfect. He knew a marvelous opportunity when he saw one. Yanking the arrow from his arm, he radioed his teammates.

"_Change of plans. Fall back!"_

His teammates made their way to the middle of the warehouse. Superboy stood up, ready to fight again. Dreadbolt ran towards him. Miss Martian staggered to her feet. Seeing Dreadbolt advancing, she knew she couldn't let him take Superboy. Miss Martian flew full-force at Dreadbolt, punching him in the face.

He had expected that. Before she could get away from him, he caught her arm, pulling her back. In one swift move, he twisted her arm behind her back and pulled.

The resulting crack echoed throughout the warehouse, causing the heroes that were getting up to fall silent. Blood spilled. Miss Martian screamed.

An expression of total rage formed on Superboy's face.

Kid Flash was the only one in any shape to fight. He knew that. So, before Superboy could attack, he rushed in, intending to free Miss Martian.

With his injured arm, ignoring the pain that shot through him when he moved it, Dreadbolt held the arrow out, point facing Kid Flash, at the last moment, so the speedster wouldn't have time to move away.

Kid Flash hit the arrow.

Artemis screamed.

Robin shouted, "No!"

Superboy gasped.

Dreadbolt grinned.

A bright light flared throughout the warehouse.

When it faded, the Terror Titans, along with Miss Martian and Kid Flash, were gone.

* * *

><p>AN: A more violent chapter. If you are confused as to what the Terror Titans look like, Google them.

They are not OCs.

Oh, and when it says "Blood spilled", it means that Miss Martian's bone broke skin.

It's possible.

Happened to my best friend.

What did you think?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Yet another late night typing.

When do I sleep?

Chapter Seven

* * *

><p>The pain was excruciating. Miss Martian felt Dreadbolt's hand on her wrist, felt him pull, felt her arm twist, the bone breaking, tearing through the flesh of her arm. She screamed, a blood-curdling sound that seemed to cut into the soul of her teammates.<p>

Kid Flash saw Miss Martian's arm break, the bone coming out. He saw the pain on her face. Without making a conscious decision, he ran full sprint at Dreadbolt.

He didn't see the gleam of the arrow until it was too late.

He ran into Dreadbolt, the arrow piercing the side of his chest. Kid Flash's body seemed to fold in around Dreadbolt's arm.

Kid Flash heard a small crack.

Miss Martian screamed telepathically, _"Wally!" _

The two heroes locked eyes. A bright light surrounded them. Next, they saw unfamiliar stone walls, a chamber.

Overwhelmed by pain, Miss Martian passed out.

Kid Flash reached out for her. His mind was becoming foggy; he felt funny.

And he passed out, too.

* * *

><p>Artemis ran to the spot where Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and the Terror Titans disappeared.<p>

"No, no, no, no! Dammit!" There were tears running down her face.

Superboy was overwhelmed with rage. He kicked one of the large crates, causing it to crumble. When that wasn't enough, he also kicked the wall, and the window, and the support beams.

"Superboy! Cut that out!" Robin yelled. He was just now recovering from the kick and fall. There was blood coming from his nose, mouth, and ear. "Do you want the whole damn building to come down?"

Superboy glared at the Boy Wonder, then sighed. He sat down, dejected.

"So, what now?"

Artemis walked over to them. "We contact the League."

Robin shook his head. "We can't."

Artemis looked at him, astonished. "What do you mean, we can't? We have just lost two more of our teammates, with no clue as to whether they will be alive for the next hour. Now is not the time to let your pride get in the way-"

"No, I mean, _we can't._ Every single member of the League is off on a mission, and we have no way of contacting them." Robin said.

"So, I ask again. What now?" Superboy was ready to give up.

"We investigate."

Artemis looked annoyed. "Investigating is how we got into this mess! Besides, we have nothing to go on."

"Or do we?" Robin grinned, taking something out of his pocket. "While we were fighting, I realized something. They weren't fighting together, but, at the same time, they were a team. Well, kind of. What I'm saying is, they didn't _act_ like a team. So, why were they together? Why were they fighting together?"

Artemis sighed. "We can't all be great detectives, Rob. Just tell us."

"_Someone else is in charge._ Someone else is calling the shots. Their leader. Without him, they wouldn't have done what they did. They probably wouldn't even know each other. This whole thing was organized by someone else, someone we didn't see. The Mastermind, the Puppetmaster."

"Okay, so find the leader, find the team?" Superboy asked.

"And the rest of _our_ team." Artemis said, catching on. "But how do we find him?"

Robin held up the object from his pocket, letting them see.

"A pocket… watch?" Superboy asked, confused.

Artemis shook her head. "I don't follow."

"Yes, a pocket watch. Or, to put it even more simply, a _clock_, the trademark of one ambitious, money-grubbing psychopath. Clock King."

Superboy shook his head. "Never heard of him."

Artemis stood up, her strength renewed by this new-found hope. "Doesn't matter. The sooner we find Clock King, the sooner we find Wally."

Superboy glared. "_And_ M'gann."

They just didn't realize it, or didn't want to admit it.

Robin shook his head, confused.

* * *

><p>Kid Flash groaned, opening his eyes. He found himself in an unfamiliar dungeon. Suddenly, the events of the latest mission flooded his head. He groaned again, remembering being stabbed. He placed his hand on the side of his chest, finding the wound. When he brought his hand away, he found the arrowhead, only partially covered in blood, and a small part of the shaft.<p>

_Hm. I guess the crack _wasn't_ my rib._

That was lucky. The stab wound itself wasn't deep at all. He came out of the fight okay, minus the part where he was locked in a dungeon with no clue where he was.

If only the same could be said for Miss Martian.

* * *

><p>Miss Martian woke up, pain shooting throughout her body. The source of the pain seemed to be her arm. She sat up, slowly, painfully, and raised a hand to her injury, trying to feel the extent of it. When her fingers met the broken end of her bone, a wave of nausea rolled over her. She hunched forward, preparing to vomit, but ended up only dry-heaving. Martians didn't need food as often as humans, and, to be honest, she couldn't remember the last time she ate. When she could breathe normally again, she raised her hand to her wound. Now that she knew the full damage, she knew what needed to be done.<p>

Using a combination of telekinesis and physical contact, M'gann began to reset the bone.

It was a very slow, very painful process. Sometimes, she would have to stop, breathe, give her body a break. Other times, she pushed through the messages her body sent her, holding back cries of agony, until she saw spots.

Finally, after who-knows how long, the bone was back in place. Her whole body ached, and the side of her shirt was covered in blood, from when she had to wipe of her hand when the blood from the wound made the bone slick. She gave in to her body and succumbed to sleep.

* * *

><p>Kid Flash was pacing. It was a nervous habit. He had no idea how Miss Martian was. He didn't even know if she was alive or- no, he wasn't even going to go there.<p>

He wished he could find a way out.

He wished the remaining members of his team could find their way here.

Wherever "here" is.

* * *

><p>Miss Martian awoke again.<p>

Her whole body felt heavy. She didn't want to get up.

But she did.

She slowly rose to her feet and stumbled over to the wall, using it for support.

She could barely hear the mind of the person in the cell next to hers, a mind that sounded so _familiar_…

No, way.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

Somehow, Miss Martian's body found some way to give her strength. Adrenaline coursed through her, lending her power, at the mere possibility of who might be on the other side of this wall.

She pressed her good hand against the wall, leaning in, eyes shut tight in concentration.

She had only learned density-shifting a few weeks ago. Even now, she couldn't always do it correctly.

She knew that this time, she had to.

Slowly, she felt it. The wall seemed to be giving way, becoming softer, and she was pushing through it. She didin't let this minor success go to her head. The wall was thick, and losing concentration now would send her right back through the way she came.

Or it would get her stuck.

She closed her eyes tighter, focusing every bit of her energy on getting through this wall.

Her hand met air.

She stumbled forward, tumbling through the wall and into strong arms.

She heard a gasp from the other person.

M'gann smiled, relief washing over her face as she gazed at him.

"Aqualad."

* * *

><p>AN: THIS IS NOT M'GANNXKALDUR.

Really. She's just happy to see him.

This may be the last one for a while. And I mean a _long_ while. On Tuesday, I leave for California, to go camping. For THREE WEEKS.

Did you like this chapter?

Then Review!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I would have had this up earlier, but I had writer's block.

Sorry.

Well,

*uses announcer voice*

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, READERS OF ALL AGES, I AM PROUD TO PRESENT THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. I BRING YOU: "SEPARATE WAYS", CHAPTER EIGHT!

*thunderous applause*

* * *

><p>Artemis and Conner watched as Robin tinkered with the watch, which was much more complicated than one would have thought by looking at it. They had all been bandaged up, Conner's arm taking more time.<p>

He was still grumbling about "that damn axe".

Artemis was pacing back and forth behind the Boy Wonder, her impatience obvious.

"What on Earth could be taking so long?"

Robin glared. "Do you want to try?"

Artemis backed off, but only for a moment. "How is picking apart the pocket watch supposed to help, anyways?"

Robin launched himself into a long speech, dealing with "Dreadbolt's teleportation" and "triggers" and "pre-recorded destinations", which Artemis only partly understood.

She shook her head. "Well, just hurry it up."

Robin went back to the watch, and Artemis and Conner went back to their private thoughts.

* * *

><p>"How did you get here?" Kaldur looked down at the teammate in his arms.<p>

M'gann sat up so she could properly look her old leader in the eyes. "We… were… captured."

The look of alarm on Kaldur's face made M'gann backtrack. She shook her head, hard, causing a massive headache. As soon as she could speak again, she explained, "Not all of us. Just me and Wally." She paused, searching for the right words to say. "Kaldur… what _is_ this place?"

He sighed. "I am not quite sure myself. I have never been able to go outside this cell."

There was a pause before Kaldur asked; "What about the others? When will they come?"

M'gann had no answer.

The two fell silent, thinking about their predicament.

* * *

><p>Wally was pacing. Again.<p>

Every once in a while, he would run at a wall, only to stop short before he reached it. He could vibrate his molecules, sure, but these walls were so _thick_, and he was low on energy.

Maybe that was why he didn't notice anyone at the door until they landed a kick to his back, sending him flying.

* * *

><p>Terry was in a bad mood. Clock King had been angry, <em>furious<em>, when Terry had changed the plan.

They were not planning on taking anyone else in, and certainly not any _damaged_ merchandise.

Terry thought back to Miss Martian's arm. Okay, so maybe that_ wasn't _the best way to handle it. He had just been so pumped up on adrenaline.

He had thought he was making the right decision, taking two prisoners.

Clock King had scoffed. Think _again_.

Of course, as soon as Terry began explaining the positive sides of his decision, saying how now the rest of the team would definitely come, and could be captured, as well, Clock King began to think differently about this situation. Terry had thought this would be good, until Clock King took the ideas as his own.

Then, the rest of the Terror Titans offered their insight. Well, if we have them all captured, the _League _will come after us, they had said. Suddenly, the ideas were Terry's again, and he also got the negative consequences that came with them.

So now, Terry was _pissed_. He punched the wall of the corridor. The wall wasn't enough, though. That's why he was walking down this particular corridor, heading to the dungeon. He was going to take his anger out on something a little less _solid._ Something he could get a reaction out of.

He grinned, feeling the cool metal of the pistol at his side.

* * *

><p>Wally groaned, rolling over to face his attacker.<p>

_Great, _he thought, taking in the blue and yellow uniform. _Him._

Dreadbolt had a fierce expression on his face. He kicked Wally, hard, before he had time to react. With his head spinning from the pain, he wasn't able to move before Dreadbolt had him cornered.

Wally sneered at the pissed off-looking villain. "Who shoved a stick up _your_ ass?"

That earned him another kick.

Dreadbolt snarled, leaning over the young hero. "Don't mess with me kid. Unless…," the snarl turned into a fearsome grin, "You want to test out that speed-healing?" he said, pulling out the gun.

The brief flicker of fear in Wally's eyes was enough. Dreadbolt cocked the gun, aiming it at Wally's leg. "Let's see how fast you run with a bullet in your leg."

Wally squeezed his eyes shut.

A scream pierced the air. Wally opened his eyes to see Dreadbolt clutching his bleeding hand. It looked like an… arrow had been shot through his hand, knocking the gun into a far corner. But that meant-

Wally turned to the door. Standing there, bow raised, was the absolute _last _person he would have expected.

"_Red Arrow?_"

Dreadbolt's head whipped around so he could see the door. _"You!"_ he hissed.

Red Arrow narrowed his eyes at the villain, before calmly walking over to him, pulling back, and landing a punch to the side of Dreadbolt's skull. He was _out_.

Red Arrow approached Wally, offering the younger hero a hand. Wally accepted. As soon as he was standing, Wally asked.

"Roy," he said, resorting to civilian names, "What are you doing here?"

Roy snorted. "Saving your sorry ass."

The two gingers walked down the hall, searching the other rooms for their lost ex-teammates.

"But," Wally continued, "You said you weren't going to help."

Roy approached another door. "Yeah," he said while opening the door, "So?"

Wally wanted to press further, but stopped when he looked inside the room.

"Guys!"

M'gann and Kaldur looked up at the two standing in the doorway. "Wally! Roy?" they said in unison.

M'gann gave each of them a hug, as best as she could, with one arm dangling at her side. Kaldur stood in front of them.

"Hey, Kaldur! I knew we'd find you eventually! And Megan, how'd you end up in Kal's cell?"

M'gann smiled. "Density shifting"

Wally let out a low whistle. "Impressive."

The four heroes made their way back down the hall. As they passed Wally's cell, Kaldur noted the knocked-out villain on the floor.

"Yeah, he's out for a while. Best leave him there." Roy said off-handedly.

A moment of silence passed before Kaldur asked another pressing question.

"How _exactly _did you find us?"

Roy turned, looking each of the others in the face. "I couldn't just leave Kaldur. After you left my apartment, I decided to follow you, as a sort of backup, since the League is pretty much entirely indisposed. I lost you for a short time, and missed most of the battle. When you teleported away, I had a good idea of where to go. I've run up against these guys before. Quite a few times, actually. This place is one long, never-ending maze. The rest of your team was hurt, but I figured I'd have a better chance of finding you if I got started right away. So I followed straight here." Roy finished his monologue.

Wally narrowed his eyes at Roy. "You know, this would have been useful to know _before_ we got in a fight with an enemy we, personally, have never heard of, resulting in us getting captured and nearly killed!"

Roy rolled his eyes, walking a little further ahead to better lead the group through the maze.

* * *

><p>AN: I focused more on interactions in this chapter. Next chapter, probably more action, hopefully both between the two groups and between members of the Young Justice League (WallArt and SuperMartian)

Again, so sorry for not posting. I will try to post more frequently now that I'm back from my trip.

Reviews are like chocolate.

I love chocolate.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Writer's block.

That is always my excuse.

But it's true.

This story has taken a turn, and I don't know where to go.

This chapter is mostly thinking. You can tell I'm putting off writing the action parts.

Sorry.

Well, have at it.

* * *

><p>Robin picked up a small piece of the watch.<p>

"Okay, so if I put this there…" he mumbled to himself. Conner had been hearing these sort of mumblings all night. Occasionally, they were followed by an excited grunt or a disappointed sigh. There had been more grunts than sighs, a sign that Conner took to mean progress was being made.

He didn't think too much on it, though. His thoughts kept drifting back to M'gann.

He had always liked her. From the first day, he felt a warmth around her that drew him in. However, sometimes-wait, strike that- _most _of the time, his quick temper got in the way of his judgment, and he would yell.

He would mentally kick himself afterwards.

But she always welcomed him back later. No matter what he did.

He wasn't sure exactly when the more…_intense _feelings started. Maybe it was that day in the Cave, or maybe they had just been building up from the first day they met.

They had shared many moments like the one in Bialya in the months before the team split. And then, once he left for Metropolis, he never heard from her again.

He thought about her often enough. The thoughts reflected his mood. On good days, when he thought about what she was probably doing at that moment, he got flashes of her cooking, or walking in a park, or even kicking bad guy butt, smiling all the while.

On bad days, _really_ bad ones, he took her silence in a totally new light. He would reprimand himself for not making an effort, telling himself she wasn't talking because he didn't try to keep up with her.

Sometimes, the dark, twisted part of his mind would tell him she was silent for a much worse reason.

On the worst days, he thought she was dead.

Of course, he would later remind himself that if she had died, Superman would have told him.

Wouldn't he?

Seeing her in Metropolis, he felt his feelings grow stronger. He wanted to reach out to her, tell her, but all thoughts of that blew up in his face when he yelled at her in Wally's house.

And she still forgave him.

She always forgave him.

But he failed to protect her. He let Dreadbolt hurt her and capture her.

Could she forgive him this time?

* * *

><p>Next to Conner, Artemis awoke with a start. Waiting for Robin to figure things out, she had fallen asleep. Multiple times. It was a fitful sleep, and she felt herself jolted awake each time by thoughts of Wally.<p>

Waking or sleeping, her thoughts were on him.

Somewhere in the time when the team was whole, she started liking him. Their arguments had taken on a more teasing nature, and each of them would usually find him or her self laughing by the end of it.

They had started spending more time together while in the Cave. Sure, they still argued, but again, it was teasing.

She had even started looking forward to seeing him. Their playful squabbles had become a high point in her days.

And then Robin left.

Robin's absence had taken a toll on both of them. Especially Wally, since the two of them were such close friends. For days after the youngest member of the team walked out, Wally was more irritable. The two would still partake in their regular quarrels, but in those days, Wally wasn't easily humored. Artemis would say something that would usually make the young speedster laugh, but instead, he would snap at her.

And, being defensive, she would snap back.

Things continued in this pattern for a while, each increasing the venom in their words, waiting for the other to crack.

Artemis finally did.

And that was the last she had heard of the speedster.

That is, until she found herself sitting in his living room, surrounded by ex-teammates.

She guessed the lesson there was; anything can happen.

The expression on Wally's face when he walked in had been priceless. She would have had to fight back laughter, if it weren't for the huge lump in her throat.

She chastised herself for letting those sort of feelings show.

This was Wally.

But, at the same time, she couldn't help it. Standing in front of her was the only guy she had ever let get close without hating him for it.

This was _Wally_.

These sort of thoughts had been running around in her head since he had been kidnapped. They had repeated themselves enough that they became a sort of lullaby, and she would fall asleep.

Her dreams were all about Wally, as well. Most of them followed him through some unknown corridor, trailing him as he was led to… well… wherever they had taken him.

Her mind took her through different scenarios dealing with what was happening. But they all ended the same.

With Wally dead.

And then she would wake up, only to have her thoughts lull her to sleep once more.

* * *

><p>Robin looked over at Artemis. A frightened gasp had jolted him from his thoughts, a gasp coming from Artemis's direction. He watched as she shifted, trying to get in a better position to fall asleep again.<p>

Robin then turned his eyes to Conner. The clone was also tired, but he tried not to sleep. It was clear to Robin that he was fighting a losing battle.

Robin turned back to tinkering with the watch. He was so close… he knew it…

And as his hands worked on auto-pilot to figure out the puzzle, his mind drifted elsewhere.

He left because of a lack of respect. Because the team had failed, he felt he was no longer being treated like a hero.

Now, he was respected. Respected enough to be placed as leader.

He thought of his team. He had let them down. They put him in charge, and he let them get hurt.

In the past year, he had been learning the qualities of being a leader. He had been teaching his "brothers", Jason, Tim, and soon, Damian, the assets of being a hero. He had been showing them the ropes, instructing them on fighting styles, quizzing them on how to deal with different situations.

Having to help them had taught him exactly what it took to be a leader. The patience, the pace, the instructions, the actions, the impulses, those were all important parts of being a leader.

He wasn't the same Robin he had been last year.

Sometimes, he missed that Robin.

All of this responsibility, sometimes, he felt it would crush him. He had to train his brothers to take his place.

He knew the day would come, the day when he handed the "Robin" title down to another. Jason, most likely. Damian was far too young, and Tim wasn't mature enough.

Still, he didn't want to give up his title.

Without "Robin", what was he?

That thought used to scare him. But now, he had reunited with his team, and he knew they wouldn't care if he was Robin or not.

He was their friend.

Something clicked and the watch shone with a mechanical light.

Robin smiled. "I got it."

* * *

><p>Somewhere else, the rest of the team was lost in their own thoughts as well.<p>

Kaldur looked around, surrounded by his friends.

He smiled, in spite of himself.

When he had first been captured and imprisoned, he had lost all hope. There had been no way to track these _Terror Titans_, and he knew chance of rescue was practically nothing. Four weeks he had been held, each day his resolve weakening.

And the M'gann had walked through the wall and into his cell.

All of the hope he had lost suddenly came back. His team had come for him. The fragments of the team had joined together to make a whole again. The impossible had happened.

Kaldur couldn't help but wish it had been under more pleasant circumstances.

He had left the team because of the lack of members. It was only him, Conner, and M'gann.

Aquaman had offered Kaldur the opportunity of traveling with him, fighting crime all over the world.

Kaldur had accepted without thinking of Conner or M'gann. Some leader he was.

But his team still returned to help him. Even in the trickiest of situations, they held strong.

He thought of the half of his team that wasn't with him. He was their leader, or had been. He had seen them push through the toughest of circumstances. He had total faith in their ability to push through this.

* * *

><p>M'gann's eyebrows knit together as she thought of Conner.<p>

He had left for Metropolis without much of a good-bye. He hadn't ever been one for talking.

She couldn't ignore the moments, though.

They had definitely shared quite a few. She had a feeling he felt the same way for her that she did for him.

But he left.

She didn't blame him. Not at all. This was Superman they were talking about. The clone had been trying to get Superman's acceptance from day one.

It had been his big chance.

So she had swallowed the lump in her throat and wished him a happy trip. Good luck.

She had meant to get in touch with him. With all of them, really. She bought her car and traveled. The "road trip" was initially an excuse to visit them.

She found herself in Metropolis, first.

She had gone so far as to look up the Kent's apartment in the League's database.

She remembered the day clearly. She had stood outside of the building, staring up at where she assumed the apartment to be. She stood like that for nearly half an hour. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't think of what to say, how to act, what to do.

She got in the car and left.

The same thing happened in each city, outside each teammate's residence.

Except Robin's, of course.

She had been given practically every opportunity to talk to them.

But she was scared.

She couldn't bring herself to intrude on them. Each time she worked up the courage, but then asked herself: "What if they don't want to see you?"

That stopped her cold every time.

Now, however, she had been given another chance. She was not going to mess this one up.

* * *

><p>Wally couldn't help but think of Artemis.<p>

Next to Robin, she had inexplicably become is best friend on the team. They seemed to click, even back in the early days.

And then, he had blown it.

When Rob left, he was… upset. And he took it out on her.

Each time, he wanted to apologize. But his pride got in the way.

They were both too stubborn to admit they were wrong.

He knew he was hurting her. But each time, he was becoming more annoyed with her. She wanted an apology, she was going to have to apologize to him first.

That would never happen.

He didn't want her to leave. The day she did, he knew something was up. She had been quicker to snap back at him, and her answers weren't very witty, not like usual.

Obviously, she was upset. But he didn't let that keep him from lashing out.

When she stormed out, he knew he had pushed too far. He decided he would apologize the next time.

There was no next time.

And then, she showed up in his living room.

He had hoped no one could see his blush.

She had just been sitting there, legs crossed, chin in hand, the same way she always did.

He had always found something attractive about the carefree-ness of her position.

In the ride to Roy's, the two had argued, poking fun at each other.

It was just like old times. Well, almost, except for the part where she would blush and turn away every time he lightly punched her for making an insulting, yet witty, comment, or when he jokingly put his arm around her.

Maybe it wasn't entirely jokingly.

Wally wondered if he would get to see her again.

* * *

><p>Roy was troubled.<p>

As he led the team through the maze, he knew the moment was inevitable.

They were getting closer to the headquarters of the Terror Titans. As much as he hoped it wouldn't happen, he knew there was no way they could hope to get out of here without running up against the Titans.

And then, the truth would come out.

An echo reached his ears. He brought his finger to his lips, telling the others to be quiet.

There was no need. They were all silent anyways.

He held up a hand to stop them, then listened harder.

M'gann reached out with her mind. As soon as she identified the threat, she whispered; "It's the one with the axe, _Persuader_, and the snake guy, _Copperhead_."

The footsteps grew closer.

* * *

><p>AN: Longest. Chapter. Ever.

I am so tired now.

I thought I would try to write up the next chapter of "He Said, She Said" tonight, but I don't think I will. I'm too tired.

Don't expect it tomorrow, either.

Today, August 4, is my birthday. I'm either going to take time off from writing, or I'm going to write a fic that has been in the works for a while now, but I've never really written out.

It will be my first "Mature" fic.

So we'll see how that turns out.

Why does the autocorrect change "thougts" to "thoughts", but not "thougt" to "thought"?

Technology confuses me.

More Reviews = Faster Updating


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay.

No more writer's block.

I know exactly where I'm going with this story.

Now, I've just got to write it.

For those of you loyal fans following this, I have some sad-ish news.

There will only be one or two more chapters after this one. The story is reaching its ending.

Also, one side note. This chapter was one of the hardest to write.

This is the reason.

Back a few chapters ago, when I re-introduced Roy to the story, I was told that Roy was written suspiciously.

They were right.

So, I had to find some way to put a Suspicious!Roy in the story. (Is that the correct way to use the exclamation point thingy? I've never really understood it.)

Which wasn't my intention at all.

Part of the purpose of last chapter's content was, not only to put off writing action scenes, but to put more of a suspicious element in Roy's character.

Well. We'll see how this turns out.

* * *

><p>Wally, M'gann, Kaldur, and Roy froze as the footsteps grew closer.<p>

Panic set in as they realized that, if it came to a fight, they were screwed. The only one in any shape to pose any sort of threat was Roy, and an archer alone wouldn't stand much of a chance against a super-acrobat and a girl with an atomic battle axe.

Kaldur had no means by which to hide himself, and he was much too dehydrated to fight.

The corridor was fairly well lit, and M'gann doubted she would be able to concentrate hard enough to properly camouflage herself.

Something clicked in the three's minds as they realized the only one with a chance for escape was-

"Wally."

The speedster looked up at the mention of his name. "What?"

"Go." Kaldur hissed as quietly as he could without being heard by the two villains, who were closing in.

"What?"

"_Go_." Kaldur met the speedster's eyes. "You are the only one with a chance to escape. Go, and get help."

Wally wanted to ask who he could get, but Persuader and Copperhead were almost around the corner, and soon his window of opportunity would be gone.

He ran.

* * *

><p>Robin, Artemis, and Superboy stood by Robin's computer, as the Boy Wonder put the finishing touches on the program.<p>

"And you're sure this will work?" Artemis looked at the patchwork watch dubiously.

"Artemis." Superboy kind of growled.

"Of course, I'm sure. You've only asked about twelve times in the past hour."

"Then what the _hell_ is taking so long?"

Superboy sighed.

"Artemis." Robin stood up from his chair and placed a hand on the archer's shoulder. "We'll find them."

Artemis sighed, putting her head in her hands. Then, she turned and headed for the door.

"I… I'm gonna get some air."

When she left, Robin sat back in the chair and tinkered with the watch some more. Suddenly, the watch clicked, and Robin knew he had hit the right part. It was ready.

A small groan came from behind. Robin turned to Superboy. "How're you holding up? Worrying about Miss M.?"

"She… uh… I-" Superboy struggled for the words, something he had never been too good at.

Robin patted the clone on the back. "Hey, man, I get it."

Artemis walked back inside, newly invigorated. "Are we ready to fire this baby up, or what?"

Robin grinned. "Yep. Now, we all need to stand close. This isn't as powerful as it once was, and it's not charged fully. It will only teleport things in a concentrated area. Now, with the right equipment, you could transport a whole ballroom full of people, maybe even a building, but we don't have that kind of gear."

Superboy and Artemis nodded, ready to go.

"Alright. On three."

One.

Two.

Three.

* * *

><p>The first one was Copperhead. The snake-guy flipped up in the air and landed with a flourish. He hadn't noticed the three standing at the other end of the hall… yet.<p>

Persuader's boots clicked across the floor, and the team could see her shadow as she prepared to round the corner. Just before she came into view, though, Copperhead started to turn and down the hall.

He found himself staring at two ex-captives and one very familiar ex-teammate.

He opened his mouth-

-And was silenced as one of the candelabras on the wall flew off and hit him in the neck.

Roy and Kaldur turned to see M'gann, with one arm outstretched, a determined look on her face.

The triumph of her attack was short-lived, for as soon as Persuader saw Copperhead's body hit the wall from the force of the blow, she sprinted to round the corner, coming at them with her axe.

Roy stood, bow ready, as M'gann and Kaldur took up fighting stances. Still, Roy knew they didn't stand a chance against an atomic axe.

"We fight?" Roy asked the others.

Kaldur nodded.

M'gann pushed Persuader into a side wall of the corridor, dazing her. They had a few precious seconds to plan their next attack.

Or so they thought, until they heard they footsteps behind them, and turned around to see a very pissed-off Dreadbolt sprinting at them.

Kaldur turned to the others for support. "We fight?"

Roy had already turned, ready to take a few steps.

"No. We run."

* * *

><p>AN: Delaying the action once more! I am evil!

So, review, okay? If you do, I'll write the next chapter more quickly.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: So, this chapter was supposed to be up yesterday, but my computer broke, so I had to take it to get fixed, which leads me into this awful story that is in no way relevant to anything in this chapter.

But I'll tell you anyway.

So, today was the first day of school, and it was a half-day. Basically, I go to each class, but only for about half an hour instead of a full hour.

I drop my school issued laptop off with the "Tech Wizards", and they tell me to bring it by after school.

I had a volleyball meeting after school, so I figured I could just drop it off, attend the meeting, and then come back for it afterwards.

However, life isn't that easy.

Fifth block rolls around, (but how can a block roll?) and I find myself to be the first one in Coach Lynch's gym class. So I wait for some others to show up.

Soon, some people I know walk in. Eli, Miller, and Sloan, all sophomores (I'm a freshman). They are followed by many _guys_ that I had never seen before.

As the class fills up, I find myself panicking. So far, everyone else in the class was _upperclassmen guys._

I am filled with a sense of relief when my friend Emma walks in, so that I am not a lone babe in boyland.

However, Emma and I agree that we need to transfer out of the class.

Right after school, I run by the Tech Wizards and drop off my laptop. Then, Emma and I go to see the scheduling manager. He is busy with another student, so we wait. Fifteen minutes later, we are called to the office, and another half hour later, we are dismissed, both of us happily out of the gym class.

I retrieve my laptop and run to the volleyball coach's room, only to find it empty.

Overall, not a great first day.

Still, now that my laptop is fixed, I can post this chapter.

ACTION, BABY! Sadly, though, this is the next-to-last chapter of "Separate Ways".

Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Roy, Kaldur, and M'gann ran, and, in one case, flew down the corridor, the three villains close behind, and gaining.<p>

Rounding another corner, they were met with another set of walls with no way out.

Kaldur shook his head. "This is pointless."

Roy just kept running. Rather than give up, M'gann and Kaldur followed.

They turned multiple corners, coming to places that looked oh-so-familiar, until Roy took them down a hallway that didn't seem to be there before.

As they proceeded, a light flashed, signaling a way out.

They ran faster.

* * *

><p>A light flashed, temporarily blinding Artemis, Superboy, and Robin. When they could see again, they found themselves in a large room, entirely made of stone.<p>

A few seconds later, the welcome committee arrived, consisting of Disruptor and the mastermind behind it all, Clock King.

"Well, come to join your little friends?" Clock King laughed. "This is the sorriest excuse for a rescue team I've seen in a long time."

Robin whipped out a birdarang, flinging it at Clock King. He easily avoided it, as well as the arrow Artemis sent his way. "Oh, please. I see all of your attacks coming. You might as well just give in now, there's no way…" Clock King paled slightly. "What the…"

Clock King turned towards one of the many doors of the room, staring in disbelief.

Everyone else turned in time to see Roy, M'gann, and Kaldur run in.

"Guys!" Artemis yelled. "You're…" she trailed off at the noticeable absence of a certain speedster.

"M'gann!" the Martian flew over to Superboy. As she landed, Superboy put an arm around her waist, steadying her, seeing as she wasn't quite stable. He pulled her close, something uncharacteristic of the clone to do, whispering, "You're alright."

M'gann blushed, and was about to reply, but was cut off by Clock King's triumphant comment.

M'gann was about t

"Aw," Clock King gloated, having regained his composure, "Did Baby Flash bite the dust?" he clapped his hands. "Bring them here, Speedy, and get your reward."

Everyone gawked. Roy was too stunned to even correct Clock King about his name. By this time, the other three members of the Terror Titans had joined, taking their place by their leader.

Roy hesitated, before shaking his head. "You don't have anything I want."

"Really, now? That wasn't what you said a few months ago." Clock King smirked.

"_Roy,_" Artemis hissed, "What did you _do_?"

"Oh, don't you know? Speedy, here, was selling himself as a mercenary, doing whatever jobs he could to get money to fund his, er, _interests._"

As the team looked at Roy, silently demanding answers, Roy glared at Clock King.

"That was then. This is now." He said, with as much conviction in his voice as he could.

It wasn't enough for the team, though

* * *

><p>After searching for minutes, but, to a speedster, what felt like hours, Wally found what he was looking for.<p>

The Control Room.

This room had it all. There were monitors displaying blueprints and equations, formulas for different devices, displays of random objects and places. There was even a map of the whole building, explaining how the pattern of rooms and halls was configured. He sped over to the monitors, studying the readings. On some monitors, he could see different parts of the building, shown through security cameras. Quite a few were set in one large room, which seemed to be the center of the building. On the monitors, he could see different angles of the team versus the Titans, though no-one was fighting. As he studied his team, he realized that the lack of fighting wasn't a bad thing, considering what bad shape some of them were in. These Terror Titans had the home field advantage.

He needed to change that.

Averting his gaze to other monitors, he gathered the information he would need. His mind broke apart the complex formulas and equations for the teleportation sequence easily, and he set to work on figuring out how to put it all together. The initial system wasn't very tricky, and soon, he was ready.

_But where to send them?_

Thinking hard, he finally decided on the right place.

He entered the exact coordinates, even using a stolen satellite camera to pinpoint where he wanted to go by a margin of a few feet. Even with a small margin, this was going to be close. There were a few adjustments that needed to be made. While the teleportation process was loading, he studied the map on the wall. He would need to get to the main room as fast as possible.

* * *

><p>He entered a two-minute timer on the teleporter, and then ran.<p>

Somewhere in the argument between the two teams, they had drawn closer together. Now, they were close enough that someone could reach out and push someone on the other team. Then, push would come to shove, and, with the shape the Young Justice League was in, the winner would be clear from the start. Everyone was tense, waiting for someone to make a move.

Suddenly the two teams were separated by a force, dividing them so that it was the Titans on one side, the Young Justice League on the other. They turned in the direction that the force was headed.

There stood a very triumphant looking Kid Flash.

"Wally!" Artemis shouted, forgetting about Roy and the Terror Titans.

"Miss me?" he said, flashing one of his cocky grins. Then, the grin faded, and Wally looked lost in thought for a second. Snapping out of it, he sped over to Robin.

"You," he placed his hands on Robin's shoulders, pushing slightly, "Stand here." He directed the Boy Wonder to a spot closer by his teammates.

Wally backed up, measuring the space between the teams with his mind. Then, he turned to Artemis. "Slide over about a foot and a half."

Artemis complied.

"What are you doing?" Clock King sounded annoyed.

Wally held up a finger. "Just give it a minute. Actually," he corrected himself, "That's about it." He took his place next to Kaldur.

"Wait," Clock King began, "Give what a… oh, no."

Wally smirked. He held up three fingers, putting one down each time he counted down; "Three. Two. One."

Just as a light began to fill the room, Wally waved to the Terror Titans. "Bye, bye."

* * *

><p>AN: Ho, hum.

I guess I lied.

There will now be two more chapters after this one. The next one will be the Grand Fight Scene.

I just felt this chapter was long enough (by my standards), without the long action-y bit added on the end.

I'll either have that one up tonight or tomorrow.

Look forward to it, really.


	12. Chapter 12

My Faithful Readers;

I have failed you. Please do not spam me with hate mail.

You see, exams are coming up. I have two weeks of classes before the last week of school, which will be non-stop exams. And I need to study. A lot.

That is why I have updated _every story_ that I'm planning on continuing with this same message.

On the other hand, I'll probably publish a few one-shots, as stress relievers.

Keep in mind, I'll probably update two chapters for each story, so be sure you're caught up.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, or if you just want to ask about how things are coming along.

See you in three weeks! Or so…


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